Lt. Col. David Redman Explains Emergency Preparedness and Covid-19

Lt. Col. Redman was the first Director of Community Programs for Emergency Management Alberta. On September 12th, 2001, he became the head of counter terrorism for Alberta. In 2004-2005, he was the team leader for writing the pandemic response plan for Alberta. He was the head of the Emergency Management Alberta which was the successor organization to Disaster Services Alberta. Lt. Col. Redman built it into the organization now known as the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

How did Canadian governments get the response so wrong?

1. Incompetence

The Premiers didn’t go to their briefing books to see how to manage an emergency. They put the wrong people in charge, being the medical officers of health.

2. Hubris

All leaders become invested in the decisions they make and don’t readily admit when they are wrong.

3. Self-Gain

The lock downs and benefits programs proved politically advantageous causing poll numbers to go up. Perpetuating the wrong response becomes easy when turning to a correct course of action requires courage; it will illicit a short-term backlash.

• Category: Constitutional Rights, Emergency Management, Rule of Law